WCHS sweeps Overton openers: Bishop’s 36 lead Pioneers to win over Antioch
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With nine players at 6-feet or taller, the Bears tried to control the game inside, but the Pioneers were able to use their quickness, pressure defense and a season-best effort from Reese Bishop to wear down their foes on the way to a 81-79 win.
The victory landed WCHS in the tournament semifinals, and they will take on Overton today at 5:30 p.m. Overton downed East Literature in its first-round game.
Bishop was the man of the hour for the (9-4) Pioneers, connecting for 21 points in the second half on his way to a 36-point performance. The junior guard wasn’t in his regular spot in the starting lineup for the Pioneers, as Brooks Majors got the nod at point guard, but he made his presence felt soon after checking in to the contest.
The two squads battled to a near stalemate through much of Thursday’s game, but after a dunk from David Palmer gave the Bears a 16-10 lead midway through the first quarter, Bishop converted a three-point play to cut into the lead, then scored six unanswered points near the end of the quarter to give WCHS a 21-19 lead.
The Bears’ Quincy Douglas buried a 3-pointer as the quarter ended, giving his team a 22-21 lead after one, but a 6-1 scoring run from the Pioneers opened the second period. Marlon Gordon was fouled on a 3-pointer and hit all three attempts, putting the Bears on top 28-27, but Bishop hit a “3” to give the lead back to Warren County.
Both teams swapped basket for basket through the rest of the half, but Antioch’s Decorey Young connected just before the horn to send his team into intermission with a 38-37 lead.
Antioch opened up its advantage in the opening moments of the second half, as Palmer scored inside and Richardson buried a 3-pointer to complete a 5-0 run.
But five unanswered points from Bishop brought the Pioneers back within one, and WCHS continued to battle to keep within sight of the Bears’ lead.
The Bears opened up a 6-point lead (51-45) midway through the third, when Young put back a rebound, but after a Breu Bonner free throw got the Pioneers back within five, WCHS crashed the boards to retake the lead.
Bishop and Ross Marlowe each scored on third-try putback attempts, pulling their squad within a point at 51-50. Bishop scored after a steal to keep it a one-point game, and Randal Harrell closed the third quarter with a 3-pointer to put the Pioneers on top 55-53 heading into the final period.
Warren County used accuracy at the free-throw line to hold on to its lead in the fourth, connecting on 16 of 18 attempts in the period. Those free throws helped WCHS build a six-point advantage (75-69) at one point late in the game, but a pair of 3-pointers from Richardson kept things interesting until the final half-second, when Randal Harrell hit one free throw then missed the second one intentionally to prevent the Bears from having time for a final shot.
Harrell finished with 17 points for the Pioneers, while Kyle Thompson scored 14. Andy Harrell had four, Breu Bonner finished with three, and Josh Nunley, Marlowe and Todd Gilley had two each.
Richardson’s 19 led Antioch, and the Bears got 16 from Gordon, 15 from Palmer and 14 from Douglas. The Bears fell to 3-4 with the loss.